The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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pdavelee
Joined: 11 Apr 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Chicago, IL
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 1:29 am Post subject: There's knowing, then there's "knowing" |
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As I read this devotion I found myself wondering how it is possible for a shepherd to know every sheep and goat in his flock by name and appearance. All sheep and goats look the same to me. Sure, I might note that one is dark and another light, one mottled and the other all one color. Those are broad distinctions and even I can pick those out. But beyond that they really do appear indistinguishable to me.
That left me wondering how well I really know my people. I’ve got most of them cataloged and grouped in my mind according to the very broadest distinctions, but I imagine any casual observer could know them at that level without much effort. But can I honestly say that I know my people that intimately? That I can see beyond the broad distinctions to the specific things that make them who they are?
When our church was smaller I valued the fact that I really did know my people. We ate together, played together, laughed together, and cried together. I was not the kind of pastor who hid behind the pulpit on Sundays, then fled before the sheep could catch up to me. I prided myself on being very intimate with our people. But as the church has grown, I have been alarmed to observe that I don’t know the people very deeply at all. There are some that I have history with and still know intimately, but the growing size has intimidated me into sacrificing depth for breadth. What a great challenge this devotion was. |
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